When I was 16 years old I got my license, and battled AP Biology; when Félix Hernández was 16 he was throwing 90 MPH, and earned a $710,000 signing bonus. At 19 I joined a sorority and boldly declared my English major; Félix joined the Mariners, and struck out 77 hitters in 84.1 innings. I’m now 23, preparing to build some IKEA furniture and stifling panic about making plans three months from now; Félix made his All-Star game debut, threw a two-hit, complete game shutout, and came in second in Cy Young Award voting.
We know how good Félix was, that needn’t be repeated, but what isn’t quite emphasized enough is how young he was when he accomplished these feats.